Harrison Bergeron Theme Analysis Essay Example

Harrison Bergeron Theme Analysis Paper Harrison Bergeron Analysis This clear inequality teen them is unfair and creates competition, so the government decides to place a noise machine in Georges ear which will go off every so often to keep him from thinking too hard. Hazel, on the other hand, doesnt have to wear any such devise. As it turns out, this couple has a son named Harrison, however when he was younger he was so overly talented that they couldnt restrain him with normal ways, so the Handicapper General (the organization in charge of making all equal) decided to imprison him, as they believed he was planning a government overthrow at the age f 14. At the present day George and Hazel are relaxing watching some restrained ballerinas perform poorly when a government announcement interrupts the show. Harrison has escaped prison, and surprise surprise, hes at the ballerina show. He rips of the hundreds of pounds of restraints, his mask, and all of the other restraints, and he declares himself emperor. He then claims one of the ballerinas as him empress and they dance together in an unbelievably beautiful fashion, culminating with an extended kiss in which they ignore gravity. Finally theyre shot with a shotgun by the Handicapper General and they die. George and Hazel shortly afterwards forget what was sad on the television. There are many themes which this short story brings up in order to make the reader question how far he or she wishes government control to go. These themes include equality, competition, and censorship. However they can all be summed up into one theme statement. We will write a custom essay sample on Harrison Bergeron Theme Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Harrison Bergeron Theme Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Harrison Bergeron Theme Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer To restrict the freedom and hide the talents of the gifted in order to stop unfair competition ends up benefiting body, as it creates a society in which nobody works to improve the world, the untalented get even more untalented, and rights which equality should protect end up being destroyed by censorship. As demonstrated by George Burgeon perfectly, all those with an unfair talent are handicapped and prevented from showcasing their talent properly. While this does end up keeping the smart from beating out the dumb, it also prevents society from improving. When George has a thought about maybe not handicapping ballerinas so the show improves, it is immediately pushed way by his ear handicap. Hence, a potentially beneficial idea is shut down before it can even be discuss. In addition to harming society by not allowing potentially beneficial ideas to be discussed, these handicaps Just make the dumb dumber. Although many people arent mentally talented, they can improve their capabilities through hard work and education from people such as teachers and parents. Despite never being able to match those naturally more gifted then them, people would be able to become educated and capable of critical thinking. As is evidenced by Hazel, none of this improvement happens in 2081. She in no way would be considered average today, as she constantly forgets things and never thinks for herself, resulting in a below average thinker never improving, and therefore being less capable of deep thoughts then todays below average IQ person, who can improve his or her abilities. By creating equality many believe this would be the ultimate fulfillment of natural rights, not say in this scenario. Rights which are treasured in modern day society are rumpled upon, most notably free speech. The way in which people are made average in this world requires those who think not to do so, and when something happens to initiate a thought, a television station is temporarily shut down or a noise is sent through the brain. Freedom of expression is not allowed, as anyone who questions the system is thrown in Jail, such as Harrison. This story is all about how far one is willing to go to achieve equality, and the slippery slope scenario which it poses it quite frightening.

Strategic program managment paper

Strategic program managment paper Free Online Research Papers To remain competitive, companies today face many differing priorities. Challenges such as† leading company staff in thinking bigger, operating in direct relationship to customers and stockholders’ needs, while staying flexible and adaptable to economic and market shifts ( Gaddy, p.171)† are all examples of priorities faced by companies that want to be competitive . Friar Tucker International (FTI) is a hospitality service chain that has annual revenues in excess of $300 million and employs 1,200 people. The company currently manages 35 entertainment and cuisine establishments .FTI is seeking to expand operations through diversifying its portfolio, while maintaining the company’s strategic objectives (Apollo, 2008). This paper will discuss the issues and opportunities in relationship to the existing projects. Situation Analysis Project selection, funding, resource allocation and prioritization are important issues which must be addressed, while maintaining focus on the company’s strategic objectives. FTI has been accepting investment projects on a seemingly random nature (Apollo, 2008). CEO, Ricardo Bellini has established a Project Selection Committee (PSC) to identify the types of projects for consideration. However, the PSC has not demonstrated the necessary skills in development and implementation of program management. Each of the PSC’s have his or her pet projects that they support, yet they all want to please the CEO and have chosen to follow his lead on the latest project, the Galleria. The PSC does not have metrics in place to weigh all factors against strategic goals. The committee also lacks the effective use of data in to achieve optimal performance. Furthermore, no performance management metrics are in place to monitor the project, once chosen (Apollo, 2008). The stakeholders of FTI include the CEO, the hired consultant and various senior managers who make up the PSC. The Project Selection Committee members have not had any leadership training and are incapable of making decisions based on clear facts. Most of the decisions made are based on political alignment or personal gain. Program Management Plan (Process)Purdue states that , â€Å"Successful project management requires that all knowledge areas (scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communications, risk, procurement, project integration) be managed effectively. (Purdue, 2008, pg 90).† Planning the scope will be necessary before the project can proceed. This requires identifying success factors, timelines, and preparing a scope matrix. Once the scope is completed and agreed upon by all, the next step is to obtain approval. The CEO, Ricardo Bellini will need to approve the project to move forward. Part of this approval process will be budget approval, identifying constraints and assigning authority to the project manager (Scribd, 2008). Successful program and project management requires diligent management and monitoring of not only the schedule, but of the entire team. FTI can use project management software, similar to that which was successfully used by Boeing to track various portions of the project (Bennett, et al, 2008). The stakeholders will need to be kept informed of the progress of the projects in order to allow for decisions to be made in a timely fashion. This can be done with an effective communication plan similar to the satellite real time communications developed by FedEx (Bennett, et al 2008). This will also allow for reporting of the project status to all stakeholders, which is crucial. Stakeholders must be informed of the high priority risk items and costs status to allow for any changes to be made and to avoid delays. The plan will need to have a diagram for monitoring control progress, such as a contingency plan, detailed milestones, confirmed deadlines, and checklists. These will be crucial to the project (Scribd, 2008). Another significant part of the plan is the closing. After the project is completed, an assessment of the project will need to be conducted. This will allow for a review of the results which will be compared to the objectives. A closing audit will also be completed, with a review of the challenges which were faced and opportunities for continuous improvement on the next project (Scribd, 2008). Business Case The Galleria project is expected to generate about $10 million over the first two years, and the project is expected to break even in five years. The projected annual revenue from the restaurant and gaming is $1 million in year 1 and will grow to $35 million in year 10. Another $4 million expected annually from other sources. Because this is a new business, the initial investment can be $18 million or higher. If the estimates are a bit high, it may take a bit longer. It could take up to seven years to break even. This still allows for a fairly quick break-even point and an even greater return on investment when considering long-term financial goals. The Galleria project is the most suitable for FTI, and it will fit in well with the strategic plans for the company and will provide a strong financial return on investment. Building new competencies is important to FTI to help achieve their vision of being among the top 10 hospitality service providers and the corresponding mission statement of attracting more visitors and customers. Proposed Resources FTI will need to shift resources to manage this program. Sprint was faced with a similar problem in their Enterprise Property Services project. They devoted 25% of their executive team to manage the new program management. Sprint was able to do this by outsourcing many non-core functions. The collaborative approach allowed better management of the performance of the program because of the shift from individual goals to focusing on organizational goals (Bennett, et al, 2008). Another method of managing resources is the â€Å"triple constraint,† which involves making tradeoffs between scope, time and cost for a project. A project life cycle will have inevitable changes to the scope, time or cost of the project. However, where most projects fail is that when one of the areas changes and appropriate adjustments are not made to the other areas. For example, if a deadline is moved up, FTI will have to decide what actions are needed with regard to cost or scope to ensure the deadline is met without compromising the quality of the product (Purdue, 2008) Conclusion A well-formulated strategy helps to marshal and allocate an organizations resources into a viable posture based on its relative internal competencies and shortcomings. A well formulated strategy also helps individuals anticipate changes in the environment, and contingent moves by intelligent opponents.† (Purdue, 2008). Many businesses require some type of strategy in order to be successful; otherwise their efforts and resources will be spent haphazardly and wasted. Friar Tucker International has the opportunity to realize its financial goals while maintaining focus on its vision and mission by successfully implementing the strategic program management proposed in this paper. FTI will need to follow the details of the strategic program which have been provided to ensure successful programs and future projects. With the strategic program plan proposed and implemented, the future is an optimistic one for Friar Tucker International. Research Papers on Strategic program managment paperThe Project Managment Office SystemIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalResearch Process Part OneOpen Architechture a white paperMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductLifes What IfsInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceTwilight of the UAW

An examination of the connection between sexuality and suffering Essay

An examination of the connection between sexuality and suffering - Essay Example Journal du voleur is the closest Genet came to writing a traditional autobiography. As D’Asciano (1998) points out, though his other novels incorporate names from the author's life experience, the focus of these novels is to create mythical characters out of names pulled from Genet’s reality. The character â€Å"Genet† figures in these other novels as the creator/narrator, but it is in the Journal that Genet concentrates on recounting his life experience (D’Asciano, 1998). As White has shown in his biography of Genet, the chronology of events in Journal, while loosely followed, does, in fact, correspond with Genet's life in the late 1930's. What is most important to Genet, however, is not a simple recounting of his life story, but rather the elaboration of his aesthetic preoccupations. It is in this narrative that Genet identifies most clearly his means of literary production, and discusses the relationship of body to text. It is within the context of the stated reality, and as influenced by Genet’s own sexual proclivities, that the theme of sexuality and suffering asserts itself. Traditionally, autobiography is a narrative form that has as its primary theme the recounting of the life of the author. The key element in identifying a narrative as autobiographical is, to use the terminology of Philippe Lejeune (1975, p. 1), the pacte autobiographie By identifying the pacte the ideal reader realises without a doubt that the character denoted by â€Å"I† is indeed a projection of the author on the page. Genet accomplishes this in Journal principally by providing verifiable statistics regarding his â€Å"statut civil,† - his date of birth and the circumstances which surrounded it. ... Genet accomplishes this in Journal principally by providing verifiable statistics regarding his "statut civil," - his date of birth and the circumstances which surrounded it. Though a Genet character exists in Genet's other novels, this information appears only in Journal du voleur. What is most remarkable about this fact is that, rather than stabilizing the identity of the author, by its very nature it destabilises. The fact that Genet was orphaned at a young age, and that he knows only the name of his mother, and not that of his father, puts the author character in an awkward position in a society more patrilineal than most. The Journal is in many ways, an aesthetic treatise, an examination of the ideas and practices that have made Genet a creator. The two fundamental concepts that drive his creation are "beauty," and a vertiginous space that we could call the "vide," or, "nothingness." As may be inferred from Barber's (2004) analysis of Journal, Genet's writing exists in a tense space between the aesthetic attractions of the physical world, and the intellectual imperative of the contemplation of the emptiness of existence. Genet attributes his attraction to the physical world to its beauty. Pinning down a precise meaning of beauty is difficult. In the short entry on "beauty" in the Oxford Companion to Philosophy, Aquinas is quoted as defining beauty as "that which pleases in the very apprehension of it" (Hondrich, 1995, p. 80). This definition, though vague, does point to two components of the assessment of beauty, the observer and the observed. There is no beauty without a subjectivity to apprehend it. The article goes on

GPS Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

GPS - Term Paper Example The technology is owned by the United States that offers users through navigation, positioning as well as timing services. This system is composed of three segments that are control segment, the space segment and the user segment. The United Sates Air Force maintains, develops as well as operates the space and control segments (Bajaj, Ranaweera, & Agrawal, 2002). This paper presents a detailed overview of global positioning system. This paper will outline the history, advantages and disadvantages of the global positioning system. Initially GPS system was designated the navigation system with timing and ranging (or NAVSTAR) global positioning system. Additionally, US Department of defense initiated this project to offer round-the-clock and all-weather navigation abilities intended for sea, military ground as well as air forces. In addition, with the development of global positioning system it has become an integral asset in several civilian applications as well as industries around the world, comprising recreational utilization (for example aircraft, boating, hiking), business vehicle fleet tracking, as well as surveying. However, the general development of global positioning system was initiated by LORAN and the Decca Navigator developed ultimately in 1940s, as well as employed throughout World War II. Additionally, to attain precision requirements, GPS employs rules and regulations of general relativity to make right the satellites atomic clocks. In addition, by seeing these parallel developments in the GPS technology, in 1960s it was recognized that a superior system could be developed by producing the most excellent technologies from 621B, Timation, Transit and SECOR in a multi-service program. Thus, a meeting of approximately 12 military officers held at the Pentagon in 1973. In which they decided to create a DNSS (defense navigation satellite system). Thus, after one year of that meeting the DNSS

Alzheimer disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alzheimer disease - Essay Example These neurons and synapses are lost when the individual begins to develop Alzheimer’s disease. The cerebral cortex and subcortical regions are impacted because gross atrophy is found in these regions (Pashek & DiVenere, 2006: p. 143). The temporal lobe and parietal lobe witness degeneration which can lead to the progression of the disease. AD causes specific brain regions to shrink which has been corroborated by the presence of MRI and PET reports (Wilson et al, 2008: p, 45). Definition Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia that is incurable. It is a progressive disease in which the conditions of the patient worsen with the passage of time with the ultimate outcome being death. The disease was first identified by a German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer in the early 20th century. AD is found to be prevalent in people above the age of 65 years. Currently, it is estimated that there are 26.8 million patients with the disease (Small & Perry, 2005: p. 125). The causes of the disease are unknown while medication seems to alleviate some of the symptoms. Disease Start AD starts when individuals suffer from short term memory loss. They might also be suffering from language problems and encountering difficulty in concentrating. Additionally, behavioral problems might be exhibited in individuals with mood swings and anger being the primary symptoms (Small et al, 2003: p. 353). The difficulties in perception, executive functions, and movements can also signal the onset of the disease among individuals. This gradually worsens with the passage of time as more intermediate and severe forms of symptoms are witnessed in individuals. Role of Environment Empirical studies are studying the impact of environmental factors upon the development of AD in individuals. This approach seeks to move away from the widespread emphasis on genetic factors as being the primary cause of AD (Small et al, 2005: p. 5). Studies are being conducted to investigate the relationship between cognitive decline and vascular and metabolic conditions. For instance, a study was conducted by the Rhode Island Hospital which found a link between nitrates in the environment and Alzheimer’s disease. Nitrates are found in increasing numbers in the environment as well as in processed foods. People who are vulnerable to heart disease might have a greater chance of developing AD. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are considered to be having a possible link with the development of AD (Tomoeda et al, 2006: p. 151). Research is still being conducted into the role of environmental factors in developing AD. This research is still inconclusive which means that there is the need for clear and precise goals. it is through the use of innovative and creative strategies that success can be attained within a short period of time. It is hoped that the study of the causes of AD will help in the development of effective and efficient medications to combat the disea se. Causes The exact causes of AD are still unknown despite decades of research into the problem. Genetics is considered to partly cause this disease as autosomal dominant inheritance has been witnessed in patients (Blacker et al, 2009: p. 1198). The oldest hypothesis is that AD is caused because the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is diminished in brains. However, this hypothesis has become unacceptable because medications that

An analysis of the budgeting in management accounting

An analysis of the budgeting in management accounting With the fast development of in the area of management accounting, more and more managers are aware of the importance of the budgeting, budgeting is an important control system in almost all organizations (Stephen C. Hansen, Wim A. Van der Stede, 2004, Management Accounting Research, Multiple facets of budgeting: an exploratory analysis,), and it provides an expression of the steps which management must take in the current period if it is to fulfil organizational objectives. (M.W.E.Glautier and B.Underdown. (1997) Accounting Theory and Practice, p531, 6th Edition, Great Britain: PITMAN PUBLISHING). This paper will discuss that what is budgeting and the budgeting committee, the budgeting purpose and types of budget, the benefits and limitations in the budget, and how to be a successful budgeting. The budgeting process focuses on the medium term period, normally one year, and it is an expression of plan in monetary terms, which is aim to achieve the organizational objectives, as Colin Drury said the budget is a financial plan for implementing the various decisions that management has made.(Colin Drury. (2008) MANAGEMENT AND COST ACCOUNTING. p10, 7th Edition, China: GENGAGE Learning) The various decisions are covered in cost and revenues, cash flow, assets and liabilities. In additional, the annual budget likely to be sub-divided for reporting periods, such as monthly budget reports, because the risk can be reduced in the monthly budgets and it helps managers easy to find the problems during the operation. In organizations, budgeting is often in the hands of a budgeting committee (M.W.E.Glautier and B.Underdown. (1997) Accounting Theory and Practice, p533, 6th Edition, Great Britain: PITMAN PUBLISHING), so the members of the budget committee is very important. For example, in the sales budgeting process, marketing department may be deliberately underestimated future sales, thus contributing to their performance evaluation. However, underestimate the quantity of sales will result in a corresponding reduction in production, which means the production will not be able to achieve the most efficient state. Another example, some department may padding the expenses in order to get more budget funds, resulting in a waste of money. Therefore, the budget committee should consist of the various important department managers, and some high-level executives be the leader. Furthermore, it usually has an accountant to be the budget officer in the budget committee, the role of the budget officer is to coordinate the individual budgets into a budget for the whole organization, so that the budget committee and the budgetee can see the impact of an individual budget on the organization as a whole. (Colin Drury. (2008) MANAGEMENT AND COST ACCOUNTING. p357, 7th Edition, China: GENGAGE Learning). The budgeting purposes and types of budget setting There are six useful purposes of budgeting, which are planning, coordinating, communicating, motivating, controlling and evaluating. Therefore, the budget will help managers through the planned activities to determine the target of the organisation and allowed managers to consider all possible situations. however it not only to reflect projected revenue and expenditure budget as of the amount of financial figures, the budget is a kind of resource allocation, input and output of the program content, quantity, and the input-output timing details. Through the budget, so that business managers can have clear objectives. In addition, the budget serves as a vehicle through which the actions of the different parts of an organization can be brought together and reconciled into a common plan. (Colin Drury. (2008) MANAGEMENT AND COST ACCOUNTING. P355, 7th Edition, China: GENGAGE Learning) and it is an effective way of the communication in the organization. Managers and staff can be motivated b y the budget because of it can help to enhance the predictability and avoid blind behavior and thereby to motivate they to complete the objectives. The Budget is based on quantitative way to show management standards, it can thus be judged according to the budget implementation effectiveness of the work and analyze differences improve their work. Two types of the budget setting are top down and bottom up. The table of illustration as following TOP DOWN BOTTOM UP OVERALL BUDGET FUNCTIONAL BUDGETS DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS In the top down way, it typically start with overall budget then broken down into functional budgets and then into departmental. If budget setting is top down, it can be directly link to the organization objectives and reflected to the authority and mandatory of budget. However, it may be limited of the information from lower levels thus that separated from reality and may reduce the effect of budget in planning, coordination and control. On the other hand, in the bottom up way, it typically start with departmental budgets then build up into functional budgets and then into overall budget. Similarly, if budget setting is bottom up, although it can solve the lack of the information from lower levels, but the exchange of information in each department may be not enough thus plans of one department is conflict with others, therefore the lack of coordination will arise. To solve those problems, the budget setting should be repeated between individuals and the budget committee. Firstly, the objectives proposed by the budget committee, such as the quantity of sales, production costs and target profits. Next, use those indicators to discuss with the various departments in order to reach an agreement, and then the budget committee will based on the agreement to determine the master budget and give to the departments. After this, the various departments based on the master budget to set out departmental budgets and build up into functional budgets. Finally, the budget committee use those individuals budget to set out the final master budget and gives to each department. The benefits and limitations The budget has some benefits to the organization, and it will show in the figure as follow: Provide a basis for a system of control Budgets Provide a system of authorization Help co-ordinate the various sections of the business Motivate managers to better performance Promote forward thinking and identification of short-term (Perter Atrill. Eddie McLaney. (2008) Accounting and Finance for Non- specialists. P312. 6th edition. Essex: Prentice Hall Europe.) However, the budget has also been found a number of limitations, such as the time lag in the system, which means the results of last month may not be reported in time and be delayed to next month or later. Moreover, there will always be some changes in the organization during the budget period; such as the shortage of funds, labour and materials, and the budget may be impacted thus the objective of organization cannot achieve the optimal state. To be successful budgeting As we have discussed in this paper, there are some limitations of the budget, and those limitations may lead to it hard to implement and dissatisfaction may express regarding how budgeting operates in practice. The following is some way to solve those problems and make the budgeting more successful. Firstly, the budget should be always concerned to achieve the objectives of organization, and need to avoid to only focus on its own target, the reasons of the budget may only focus on its own target and forget the objectives is that it may not properly reflect the requirements of objectives.. In order to prevent the replacement of the budget target, it should enable the budget to more reflect with the organizations objectives. Secondly, the budgeting should be flexibility, it because of that business conditions are always changing. Although we have planned the business conditions for the situation may occur in the future and make appropriate action to deal with changes, but on the one hand the budget setting cannot cover everything, and on the other hand the situations are always changing that some problems cannot be foresee. Therefore, it is necessary to view the budgeting process as a guide to future action, rather than a rigid plan which must be followed irrespective of changing circumstances.(M.W.E.Glautier and B.Underdown. (1997) Accounting Theory and Practice, p532, 6th Edition, Great Britain: PITMAN PUBLISHING) Conclusion In conclusion, budgeting is an important tool for management planning and control, and it has some useful functions for businesses and organizations, but it also has great limitations. The key point in the budgeting is make the benefits of it to be maximum, and reduce the limitations and solve problems during the period, thereby the budgeting can be achieved the most effective level. References ¼Ã… ¡ Colin Drury. (2008) MANAGEMENT AND COST ACCOUNTING. 7th Edition, China: GENGAGE Learning M.W.E.Glautier and B.Underdown. (1997) Accounting Theory and Practice. 6th Edition, Great Britain: PITMAN PUBLISHING Perter Atrill. Eddie McLaney. (2008) Accounting and Finance for Non- specialists. 6th edition. Essex: Prentice Hall Europe. Stephen C. Hansen, Wim A. Van der Stede. (2004) The electronic journal: Management Accounting Research, Multiple facets of budgeting: an exploratory analysis. P415-439. ScienceDirect [online] ¼Ã… ½ Available at ¼Ã… ¡http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6WMY-4DN9VP9-1_user=128592_rdoc=1_fmt=_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1095268002_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000010620_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=128592md5=f55e2a67d72ee304d2f1bc3f24de73eb

Deception in the Stem-cell Research Debate :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Deception in the Stem-cell Research Debate    The Nobel laureates' inaccurate letter to President Bush urging him to feed federal funds to human-embryo stem-cell research has had PR value in the media. It perpetuates a number of misconceptions and misleading statements regarding stem-cell research, particularly embryonic as opposed to adult stem-cell research, and will serve to continue to cloud the issue. Some of these deceptive statements are the subject of this essay. I believe President Bush and his staff are well aware of the truth about embryonic versus adult stem-cell research. Unfortunately, many in the public will read about this letter, recognize some high-profile "icons" or simply that there are a lot of "smart people" who've signed on, and think that they know all about this scientific research. Knowledgeable people do not always perpetuate the truth. President Bush and Congress obviously have the final say on how our federal research dollars will be spent. The hope is that all who are participating in this debate are fully informed about the facts and are not swayed by celebrities who are unfortunately ill-informed or deliberately misled, but rather weigh both the scientific and the ethical evidence. There is a lot of misinformation and deception going on in the press accounts of the stem-cell debate. This is probably the worst problem in this whole debate, the perpetuation (innocent or not) of misleading statements which obscure many of the real facts. The Nobel Laureate letter itself is a prime example of the "mixmaster" treatment of the facts. What is usually lacking from press reports are a few key "adjectives" that clarify the situation - defining whether the cells discussed are human or animal cells, and especially whether they are "embryonic" or "adult" stem cells. For example, the letter sent to President Bush says that "insulin-secreting cells have normalized blood glucose in diabetic mice." These experiments were done with ADULT stem cells from mice, NOT embryonic stem cells. In fact, there are as yet no reports of anyone being able to produce insulin-secreting cells from human embryonic stem cells, but human ADULT stem cells that secrete insulin HAVE been isolated. The letter promulgates the claim (made repeatedly in NIH documents) that adult stem cells do not have the same potential as embryonic stem cells, which in theory can form any tissue. But studies done with adult stem cells (studies which mirror the ones done with embryonic stem cells) DO show that adult stem cells have the capacity to form essentially any tissue.